Mashiach – The Second Adam

By Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)

 

In this paper I would like to study Adam HaRishon,[1] Adam AKA the House of Israel, and the last Adam. The last Adam was understood by Chazal[2] to be Mashiach.[3] Thus an understanding of Adam leads us to an understanding of Mashiach. Further, since the righteous are a part of Adam and a part of Mashiach, we can deduce that Adam = Israel = Mashiach. Ok, so we are getting a bit ahead of ourselves, but this will give you a feeling for the impact of the study of Adam, to our lives. Let’s start with a look at the creation of Adam:

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 1:27 So G-d created man in his [own] image, in the image of G-d created he him; male and female created he them.

 

Bereshit (Genesis) 5:2 male and female He created him, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

 

The Gemara elaborates on the strange wording of the above Torah pasuk.

 

Megillah 9a Male and female he created him[4] [but they did not write ‘created them’],[5]

 

The wording of this verse is a bit strange. It seems that G-d created Adam with BOTH male and female attributes. The Midrash explains this anomaly:

 

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis VIII:1 AND G-D SAID: LET US MAKE MAN, etc. (I, 26). R. Johanan commenced [his discourse]: Thou hast formed me behind and before, etc.[6] Said R. Johanan: If a man is worthy enough, he enjoys both worlds, for it says, ‘Thou hast formed me for a later [world] and an earlier [world].’ But if not, he will have to render a full account [of his misdeeds], as it is said, And laid Thy hand upon me (ib.). R. Jeremiah b. Leazar said: When the Holy One, blessed be He, created Adam, He created him an hermaphrodite [bi-sexual], for it is said, Male and female created He them and called their name Adam.[7] R. Samuel b. Nahman said: When the Lord created Adam He created him double-faced, then He split him and made him of two backs, one back on this side and one back on the other side.

 

Adam HaRishon, the first Adam was composed of male and female parts. In Adam, also, were all of the seeds for the physical part of the human race[8]. According to the sod, mystical, tradition of the Sages, prior to the fall, Adam was a far greater person than he was afterwards. Prior to the fall, Adam was more of a spiritual being than a physical one. Also included within him, were all of the souls of mankind. This does not only mean that all souls would come forth from him, but rather that each and every cell of his body was an individual, conscious soul. Adam was thus the collective soul of all mankind. It is of no wonder then that the Hebrew word for mankind and the name of the father of mankind is one and the same: Adam.

 

As a result of the sin of the tree of knowledge, Adam’s soul was divided into 600,000 souls. Adam’s “light” was unique, whole and unified, suddenly at the moment of the sin, dispersed and fragmented into many lights.

 

Adam HaRishon spanned from the Earth until the Heaven. He spanned from one end of the world until the other end. He spanned from one end of heaven until the other:

 

Chagigah 12a But now that this is inferred from [the expression] ‘From one end of heaven unto the other’, wherefore do I need [the expression], ‘Since the day that God created man upon the earth’? — To intimate that which R. Eleazar taught. For R. Eleazar said: The first man [extended] from the earth to the firmament, as it is said: Since the day that God created man upon the earth; but as soon as he sinned, the Holy One, blessed be He, placed His hand upon him and diminished him, for it is said: Thou hast fashioned me after and before, and laid Thine hand upon me.

 

Rab Judah said that Rab said: The first man [extended] from one end of the world to the other, for it is said: ‘Since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from one end of heaven to the other’; as soon as he sinned, the Holy One, blessed be He, placed His hand upon him and diminished him, for it is said: ‘And laid Thine hand upon me’. If so, the verses contradict one another! — They both [have] the same dimensions.

 

It is well known that all souls are part of one larger soul, that of Adam HaRishon. Since all souls in their source are one; an essence, even after it has been subdivided, remains and contains the essence[9]. It therefore follows that each soul contains within it all other souls[10]. The love of one's fellow is therefore the love of oneself.

 

Our sages, in the Talmud, say:

 

Sanhedrin 38a Our Rabbis taught: [The creation of the first man alone] was to show forth the greatness of the Supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. For if a man mints many coins from one mold, they are all alike, but the Holy One, blessed be He, fashioned all men in the mold of the first man, and not one resembles the other, for it is written, It is changed as clay under the seal and they stand as a garment. And why are men's faces not like one another? — Lest a man see a beautiful dwelling or a beautiful woman and say, ‘She is mine for it is written, But from the wicked their light is withholden and the high arm is broken.

 

This implies that although we all seem very different in appearance, thoughts, emotions, and action, we all ultimately come from the same source and are really just different manifestations of one whole.

 

Until we understand what Adam HaRishon was, it will be impossible to understand many aspects of salvation and the nature of Mashiach.

 

This Tanach[11] elaborates on this idea:

 

Yehezchel (Ezekiel) 34:30 And they shall know that I the HaShem[12] their God am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people, saith the Lord HaShem. 31 And ye My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, are Adam, and I am your God, saith the Lord HaShem.'

 

In the above pasuk we can see that the house of Israel is also called Adam. This establishes a firm connection between Adam HaRishon, the house of Israel, and Mashiach – the last Adam. This suggests that there is a connection between these three entities.

 

Now let’s explore an enigmatic phrase found in the Nazarean Codicil:[13]

 

I Corinthians 15:42-52 So also [is] the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [was made] a quickening spirit. Howbeit that [was] not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man [is] of the earth, earthy: the second man [is] the Lord from heaven. As [is] the earthy, such [are] they also that are earthy: and as [is] the heavenly, such [are] they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of G-d; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

 

In this passage, Hakham[14] Shaul is speaking of the time when Mashiach, the last Adam, will complete the tikkun, the rectification, of the sin of Adam HaRishon (the first Adam). It is important to note that Mashiach is called the last Adam:

 

1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

 

Another important aspect, that needs to be grasped, is that Adam HaRishon is called The Son of G-d:

 

Luqas (Luke) 3:38 Which was [the son] of Enos, which was [the son] of Seth, which was [the son] of Adam, which was [the son] of G-d.

 

Mashiach is also called “The Son of G-d”:

 

Matityahu (Matthew) 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Mashiach, the Son of the living G-d.

 

In this next verse, it is important to notice that Mashiach is the tikkun, the rectification of Adam HaRishon:

 

1 Corinthians 15:19-23 If in this life only we have hope in Mashiach, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Mashiach risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Mashiach shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Mashiach the firstfruits; afterward they that are Mashiach's at his coming.

 

The concept that we should be punished for the sin of Adam HaRishon can now be understood. Because we were in Adam when he sinned, so we all participated in that sin. In the same way, when Mashiach triumphed over sin, we are in Him and therefore we are able to stand before HaShem without sin because we are in Mashiach, in Adam! Please see my study titled: Merit.

 

At this point, we can see that Adam HaRishon and Mashiach have an intimate connection with each other. They are both called “Adam”, they are both called Son of G-d, and Adam HaRishon and Mashiach are likened to the first and the last, or the beginning and the end.[15]

 

Having this bit of background enables us to begin exploring the nature of Mashiach as it relates to the nature of Adam HaRishon. The nature of Adam HaRishon teaches us that in his body were contained ALL of the souls of every person who would ever be born. When he sinned, we became fragmented souls in fragmented bodies. Mashiach’s task is to collect the fragmented souls, which have corrected their part of Adam HaRishon’s sin, and put them back together in the last Adam, Mashiach. The Nazarean Codicil, speaks of this tikkun and of the nature of the last Adam:

 

1 Corinthians 15:19-23 If in this life only we have hope in Mashiach, we are of all men most miserable. 20 But now is Mashiach risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Mashiach shall all be made alive.23 But every man in his own order: Mashiach the firstfruits; afterward they that are Mashiach at his coming.

 

In this next verse, we see that in Mashiach all the souls and all of the bodies will come together to form the last Adam, the body of Mashiach:

 

Romans 12:4-5 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, [being] many, are one body in Mashiach, and every one members one of another.

 

Hakham Shaul expands on this concept of the body of Mashiach, in this next section:

 

1 Corinthians 12:18-27 But now hath G-d set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where [were] the body? But now [are they] many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those [members] of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely [parts] have more abundant comeliness. For our comely [parts] have no need: but G-d hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that [part] which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but [that] the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Mashiach, and members in particular.

 

I Corinthians 6:15-18 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Mashiach? shall I then take the members of Mashiach, and make [them] the members of an harlot? G-d forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

 

As an aside, many folks do not understand that the act of marriage causes a woman’s sins to be transferred to the man. The woman, now, has received atonement and is sinless. The man, now, needs to atone for the woman’s sins. In the same way, a man’s children’s sins are also atoned by the father until the child reaches bar mitzva. This is seen in the physical world when the father is responsible for repairing the window broken by his son’s baseball.

 

In the Olam HaBa, the woman will receive her husband’s reward. She has no independent reward because she and her husband will be a single entity for the judgment – just as Adam and Eve were created as a single entity in the beginning.

 

This helps us to understand why the wife spends the entire marriage trying to ‘fix up’ her husband, while the wise husbands never try to fix up their wives. The wife knows, intrinsically, that she must whip her husband into shape for her own benefit.

 

Notice that Hakham Shaul shows a bit of this transference of sins and righteousness in the following pasuk:

 

I Corinthians 7:10-14 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: 11  But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. 12  But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. 13  And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. 14  For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

 

Notice, in the above pasuk,[16] that the spouse is sanctified by the believing spouse and that the children are not considered bastards – because of the believing spouse! There is obviously a deep connection that extends even into the Olam Haba.[17]

 

In these next passages we see that in the end we will see what we saw in the beginning: One man/woman combination, with the Mashiach as the head, walking with HaShem.

 

I Corinthians 10:16-17 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Mashiach? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Mashiach? For we [being] many are one bread, [and] one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

 

I Corinthians 12:12-27 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also [is] Mashiach. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether [we be] Jews or Gentiles, whether [we be] bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body [were] an eye, where [were] the hearing? If the whole [were] hearing, where [were] the smelling? But now hath G-d set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where [were] the body? But now [are they] many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those [members] of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely [parts] have more abundant comeliness. For our comely [parts] have no need: but G-d hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that [part] which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but [that] the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Mashiach, and members in particular.

 

Ephesians 5:25-33 Husbands, love your wives, even as Mashiach also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Mashiach and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife [see] that she reverence [her] husband.

 

The concept of the body of Mashiach, the last Adam, seems to bear a very strong resemblance to the body of Adam HaRishon, as the Sages teach. The Nazarean Codicil uses another, similar, metaphor to describe our relationship in Mashiach:

 

Romans 11:13-26 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation [them which are] my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them [be] the reconciling of the world, what [shall] the receiving [of them be], but life from the dead? For if the firstfruit [be] holy, the lump [is] also [holy]: and if the root [be] holy, so [are] the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if G-d spared not the natural branches, [take heed] lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of G-d: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in [his] goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for G-d is able to graft them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural [branches], be grafted into their own olive tree? For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away unG-dliness from Jacob:

 

Yochanan (John) 15:1-8 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

 

The Midrash Rabbah tells us that all of our individual souls originated in one soul, that of Adam HaRishon (the first man):

 

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XL:3 What is the meaning of And it is foreknown what man is (ib.)? While Adam was still a lifeless mass, God showed him all the righteous people that would descend from him; some there were that hung on Adam's hair and others on his head; some on his forehead, on his eyes, nose, mouth, ear; some on his ear-laps. The proof is that when Job sought to dispute with God, saying: ’Oh that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come even to His seat. I would order my cause before Him’ (XXIII, 3 f), God answered him: ‘You wish to dispute with Me. Where (eyfoh) wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?’ (ib. XXXVIII, 4). What is the meaning of ’eyfoh’? Said R. Simeon b. Lakish: God said to him: ‘Job, tell Me where was thy ’’eyfah’’ (essential source) suspended? On his head or forehead? Or on which limb of Adam? Only if thou knowest on which limb thy source was canst thou argue with Me.’

 

The great mystic and halakhist, Hakham Shimon Bar Yohai, also voiced this concept:

 

Mechilta de-Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai, to Exodus 19:6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6)--this teaches that they are like a single body, a single soul. And thus it says: And who is like Your people Israel, a nation one in the earth (II Samuel 7:23; I Chronicles 17:21). If one of them sins, they are all punished, as it is said: Did not Achan the son of Zerach commit a trespass concerning the devoted thing, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel? And that man perished not alone in his iniquity[18]. If one of them is smitten, they all feel pain.[19]

 

Midrash Rabbah, Leviticus 4:6 Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai taught: It is to be compared to people who were in a boat, and one of them took a drill and began to drill a hole beneath himself. His companions said to him: Why are you doing this? He replied: What concern is it of yours? Am I not drilling under myself? They replied: But you will flood the boat for us all.

 

Thus, we see that there are two sides of unity: An individual cannot harm himself without harming the whole of Israel; an individual cannot be content with self-perfection, ignoring the fate of the community.

 

As a result of Adam’s single, primordial soul's untimely choice to investigate HaShem's capacity to differentiate, delineate, and create particularity, it became shattered and fragmented, its pieces strewn throughout the history of the world. Our own souls, these strewn pieces, come from different places within this original soul; the Midrash likens these places to body parts and organs. For instance, my soul could have come from the eyes of Adam HaRishon, and yours could've come from his ears; thusly, says the Midrash, my main avodah (spiritual task) in life might pertain to watching and seeing, while yours might pertain to listening and hearing.

 

Every human being is obligated to fix a portion of the transgression of Adam HaRishon. Each person must strive to fix the elements of the transgression that he was a part of. For all of our souls were contained in the soul of Adam HaRishon, therefore the responsibility for Tikkun (correction) falls on all of us. If a person does not act with responsibility and correctly carry out all that is required of him, (materially and spiritually, conceptually and emotionally, perceptively and experientially) he does not only miss his Tikkun, but also delays all the worlds from arriving at their fulfillment. Delaying the final Tikkun delays the Creator from revealing Himself and ruling over all the repaired and refined vessels, as is befitting for the King of Kings.

 

The Timing of Adam HaRishon’s Sin

 

Sin and atonement seem to be a recurring theme of Rosh Chodesh. In our Musaf prayers (the additional service after the morning prayers), for on Rosh Chodesh, we mention, "A time of atonement for all their succession." On a simple level, succession refers to the subsequent days of the month; Rosh Chodesh gives us atonement for all of the days of that month. R. Tzadok explains the Tefilla (prayer) on a deeper level. The word succession means descendants. We are asking for atonement for all of the descendants of Adam HaRishon, because we were all affected by his sin. We know that Rosh HaShana, is a day of atonement for the sin of Adam, for it is the day which Adam sinned and was forgiven. Just as Rosh HaShana is the first day of the solar cycle, so too Rosh Chodesh is the first day of the lunar cycle.[20]

 

Rosh HaShana is the day that Adam HaRishon was created. Once there were free-will subjects in the world, the Kingdom of HaShem was initiated. Every year, on Rosh HaShana, that kingdom is renewed. Man's task in life is to accept upon himself this Malchut shamayim (Kingdom of Heaven), the acceptance that we must (for our own benefit) follow the rules, and to accept that everything that occurs in this world has been directed by HaShem.

 

In line with the nature of the seasons, Tishri is therefore recognized as a period of time appropriate for teshuva (repentance), introspection and re-evaluation. A time when nature is negated and people have time to reflect on their sins and move towards their eradication. Teshuva however is an ideal. We attempt to retract from sin as completely as possible to strive towards being completely "sin-free" by the end of Yom HaKippurim (hopefully). i.e. the state of Adam HaRishon before the sin.

 

The Machzor, the festival prayer book, for Rosh HaShana is divided into three major sections: Malkiyot (Kingship), Zichronot (Remembrance), and Shofarot (Shofar). It is on this day that we proclaim HaShem King. It is on this day that the dead are remembered for resurrection, and this is accomplished by the shofar!

 

Israel = Adam

 

Yehezchel (Ezekiel) 34:31 'You are my sheep, the sheep of my flock, you are Adam, and I am your G-d,' declares the Lord G-d.

 

Yevamot 61a You Israel are collectively called Adam ...

 

CONCLUSION

 

Being in Mashiach is not some lofty spiritual phrase, but rather is an accurate description of Adam HaRishon, before the sin, and it is an accurate description of the last Adam, Mashiach, when the sin is corrected. When our collective souls are re-assembled into one vessel, then, and only then, will we be in Mashiach. Let us strive diligently to bring this about.

 

Was Adam Ha-Rishon (The First Adam)

a Jew or a Gentile?

By Hakham Dr. Yosef ben Haggai

 

The Holy Zohar [26a] states with regards to the creation of Adam:

 

“AND THE L-RD G-D FORMED MAN. “Man” here refers to Israel, whom G-d shaped at that time both for this world and for the future world. Further the word “Vayizer” (and He formed) implies that G-d brought them under the aegis of His own Name by shaping the two eyes like the letter “Yod - י” and the nose between like the letter “Vav - ו” … Forthwith at that time He planted Israel in the Holy Garden of Eden, as it is said: “and the L-rd G-d planted” (Genesis 2:8).The two names here refer to the Father and the Mother; the “Garden” is the Shekinah on earth, and “Eden” is the supernal Mother; “the man” is the Central Column; the Shekinah was to be his plantation, his spouse who was never to depart from him and was to be his perpetual delight. Thus G-d at that time planted Israel as a holy shoot, as it is written, “the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, in which I glory”.[21]

 

Again, concerning the “Tree of Life” in the Garden of Eden the Holy Zohar [26a] states:

 

“AND THE TREE OF LIFE.” This means that at that time the Tree of Life will be planted in the Garden, so that “he shall take also of the Tree of Life and eat and live for ever” (Gen. 3:22). The Shekinah will no longer be in the power of the “evil influence,” i.e. the mixed multitude who are “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” and shall no longer receive into itself anyone unclean, to fulfill what it is written, “the L-rd alone shall lead him and there shall be no strange god with him” (Deut. 32:12). For this reason proselytes will no longer be admitted in the days of the Messiah. The Shekinah will be like a vine on which there cannot be grafted any shoot from another species, and Israel shall be, "every tree pleasant to see," and the former beauty shall be restored to them, of which we are told: “He cast from heaven to earth the beauty of Israel” (Lamentations 2:1). “The tree of knowledge of good and evil” shall be thrust from them and shall not cleave to them nor mingle with them, for of Israel it is said: “and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ye shall not eat.” This tree is the “mixed multitude,” and G-d pointed out to them that through mixing with them they suffered two losses, of the first and second Temple, as it is said: “and on that day that thou eatest of it thou shalt surely die.” They caused the Tzaddik (righteous) to be left parched and desolate by the loss of the first Temple, which is the Shekinah in heaven, and by the loss of the Second Temple, which is the Shekinah on earth.”

 

Compare this, with Sefer Revelation 22:14-15

 

“(v.14) Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (v. 15) For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”

 

Again, the Holy Zohar (27b) states:

 

“AND THE L-RD G-D COMMANDED THE MAN, SAYING.” It is agreed that the term “command” in the Scripture always has reference to the prohibition of idolatry. This sin has its root in the liver, which is the seat of anger, and it has been laid down that “to fall into a passion is like worshipping idols.” The expression “the man” designates bloodshed, on the analogy of the verse” by man shall his blood be shed” (Genesis 9:6). This sin has its root in the gall, the sword of the angel of death, after the verse: “her latter end is bitter like gall, piercing like a two edged sword” (Proverbs 5:4). The expression “saying” refers to incest, which has its roots in the spleen, as it is written, “Such is the way of the adulterous woman, she eats and wipes her mouth” (Proverbs 20:20). Although the spleen has no mouth or suckers, yet it absorbs the black turbid blood of the liver; so the adulterous woman wipes her mouth and leaves no trace. The murderer is incited by the bile and sucks from the blood of the heart. All who see bile, recoil from it, but un-chastity is covered in darkness, in the black blood of the spleen. Whoever sins by murder, idolatry, and incest bans his soul through the liver, the gall and the spleen, and is punished in Gehinom in these three members, through three chief demons, Mashith (destroyer), Af (anger), and Hemah (wrath) … Before Israel went into captivity, and while the Shekinah was still with them, G-d commanded Israel: “thou shalt not uncover thy mother’s nakedness” (Leviticus 18:7), and this captivity is the uncovering of the nakedness of the Shekinah, as it is written, "On account of your sins your mother has been put away" (Yeshayahu 50:1), i.e. for the sin of un-chastity Israel has been sent into captivity and the Shekinah also, and this is the uncovering of the Shekinah. This un-chastity is Lilith, the mother of the “mixed multitude.” … In a word, when the “mixed multitude” are mingled with Israel, the letters of the Name YHVH cannot be joined and linked together; but as soon as they are removed from the world, then it is said of the letters of G-d’s Name that “On that day the L-rd shall be one and His Name One” (Zechariah 14:9). This is why Adam, who is Israel, is closely linked with the Torah, of which it is said, “it is a tree of life to those who take hold on it;”(Proverbs 3:18) this tree is Matron, the Sefirah Malchut (Kingship), through their connection with which Israel are called “sons of kings.”

 

It is therefore quite clear, that Adam HaRishon and his wife Chava (Eve) were Jewish up to the point of their sin in eating of the fruit of the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil, at which point they were thrown into the Diaspora and lost among other things their Jewishness, and the right to enjoy Gan Eden the same which is Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), as well as eternal life which comes from partaking of the tree of life. It is no wonder then, that those who fully adhere to His Majesty King Yeshua[22] the Messiah and observe His Torah are given the right to convert to Judaism, and in so doing rectify the great sin of Adam. For Mashiach as the King of Israel embodies in himself all of Israel, so that he who adheres to Mashiach, of necessity it follows, also must fully adhere to Israel and Judaism.

 

So great was their sin that the Holy Zohar [35b] writes:

 

“AND THE L-RD G-D COMMANDED. According to our teachers, the word “commanded” here contains a prohibition of idolatry; “the L-rd,” of blasphemy; “G-d,” of the perversion of justice; “the man,” of murder; “saying,” of adultery and incest; “from all the trees of the garden,” of robbery; “thou mayest freely eat,” of eating flesh from a living animal; and so we agree. OFF ALL THE TREES OF THE GARDEN THOU SHALT SURELY EAT. This means that he was permitted to eat them all together, for, as we see Abraham ate, Isaac and Jacob ate, and all the prophets ate and remained alive. This tree, however, was a tree of death, in so far that he who ate it by itself was bound to die, since he took poison. Hence it says, IN THAT DAY THAT THOU EATEST THEREOF THOU SHALT SHURELY DIE, because thereby he would be separating the shoots. R. Judah asked R. Simeon: ’What is the meaning of the dictum of the teachers, that Adam drew his foreskin?’ He said: ‘It means that he removed the holy covenant (Brit Mila) from its place; he abandoned the holy covenant and clung to the orlah and allowed himself to be seduced by the serpent.’”

 

Please note, that these are the Seven Heads of Law which were repeated to Noah. When Adam transgressed the command of G-d, he and his wife sinned against each of these Seven Heads of Law. Not content with this, he removed from himself any signs of circumcision from his membrum, i.e. he repudiated the covenant and Judaism altogether, and thus becoming a Gentile. It is then the task of the last Adam to undo the work of the serpent and restore mankind back their original relationship to G-d as Jews. But in this teaching of the Holy Zohar is contained a great mystery indeed and that is that observance of the Seven Laws of Noah must in the end in its natural course lead to the observance of all of the 613 mitzvoth (commandments). This is made perfectly clear in the Gemara of II Luqas (Acts) 15:19-21 -

 

“(v.19) Wherefore my sentence is (establishing courts of justice), that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to G-d (against blasphemy): (v. 20) But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols (idolatry), and from fornication (sexual immorality), and from things strangled (eating of the limb of a living animal), and from blood (murder and laws of family purity). (v. 21) For the rest you have Moses since old time in every city them that proclaim him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day (against robbery).”

 

Therefore, it is clear that the Seven Heads of Law of Noah are an introduction and summary of Judaism and not ends in themselves, but in fact leading to the wholeness of the 613 commandments which are as a whole the Tree of Life. Note that Hakham Luqas states quite clearly that “for the rest”, implying thereby a progression from the Seven Heads of Law of Noah to the whole of Torah, Written and Oral. It is also envisaged that setting up any structure of worship which does not conform to the strict laws governing the functioning of a Synagogue and its worship services is absolutely and categorically forbidden to any Noachide and obviously to any Jew. There is only one form of Divine Service and of Divine Government and that is embodied by Jewish Orthodox Synagogues of whatever custom.

 

What is the sin of those who come to Judaism through the gate of mercy extended to them through His Majesty King Yeshua the Messiah and then go on to deny him before a Jewish Orthodox Bet Din[23] for the sake of being acknowledged as Jews?

 

Let us start by saying that the Halacha as established by the Batei Din in Israel and confirmed by both Chief Rabbis of Israel does not see it as against Jewish halacha to believe that the Master of Nazareth is the Mashiach nor that through him and his teachings a Gentile is not directed to come to Judaism. Anyone saying this is not so is simply not telling the truth! What Jewish Batei Din are against is such pagan doctrines as the 3nity and making a Hakham (Rabbi) a god, and making him say such lies as the Torah is abolished. In other words, Jewish Orthodox Batei Din are not against the Master of Nazareth nor his teachings or the teachings of his Jewish Talmidim, all they do not approve nor condone are what later on in history the Gentiles teach in His name by twisting his words and adding things which he nor his Jewish Talmidim never taught.

 

Those who are cavalier with the truth, deny or fail to acknowledge the fact that they came to the knowledge of the Torah and Judaism through His Majesty King Yeshua the Messiah before a Bet Din, do commit a great and unpardonable sin, since they were not sincere before the Bet Din, and the Heavenly Bet Din will see that in the end their conversion be annulled and their children revert back to idolatry. For their entrance into the covenant was through the sin of simony and deceit and for which Sefer Revelation 22:15 states: “For without (outside the Heavenly Yerushalayim) are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” Therefore, anyone denying Yeshua the Messiah as their gate of mercy by which they are lead to Torah and Jewish Orthodoxy is guilty of death and will be punished most severely in Gehinom, for it is on account of these that the light of the Torah is drawn away from mankind, and instead of drawing many close to the Torah, their deeds of betrayal alienate many from the Torah and the true Mashiach, and are children of another father which obviously is not Avraham. Of these it is said:

 

Malachi 2:10 “Have we not one Father? Did not one G-d created us all? Why, then, is one person betrayed by another, in order to defile the covenant of our forefathers?”

 

A proselyte to Judaism is known in Hebrew as a “Ger Tzadiq”, a Proselyte of Righteousness / Justice, and how can he / she be a proselyte of Justice whilst denying for convenience sake the gate of heavenly mercy opened to him / her by which in due course lead him/her to Torah and Jewish Orthodoxy? Such an act of gross betrayal obviously can’t be considered neither “Justice” nor “Righteousness” but deeds in consonance with the ethos of the “mixed multitude.”

 

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King David, the Talmud tells us, was given some of Adam's lifespan. Thus, like Adam, his soul is a composite of every soul that will ever be placed in a body.

 

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The Talmud[24] explains the idea that Yaaqov is also Adam with the aid of an image: the beauty of Jacob was reminiscent of the beauty of Adam.

 

Yaakov was chosen as the individual human being who best embodies the essence of HaShem's purpose in creating the world. He is a second edition of Adam. The reason why Adam's portrait does not appear on the heavenly throne is that Adam shattered the "image of HaShem " in which he was created. Yaakov, the man who fully restored this "image of HaShem" to its full splendor, was chosen as the representative human instead.

 

Thus, Yaakov symbolizes Adam reassembled and renewed. He is the triumph over the sin of Adam, the restorer of man "in the image of HaShem." The evidence of the completeness of the repair is provided by the fact that he did not die. The tarnish on the splendor of the image of HaShem is most apparent in the edict of mortality issued against Adam following his sin. The fact that Yaakov was the first human who managed to beat death is the best indicator that he succeeded in restoring fully his "image of HaShem."

 

Rabbi Yochanan taught: " Yaakov our forefather never died." He asked him, "Was it for nothing then, that he was eulogized, or embalmed, or buried?" He replied, "I'm not saying this on my own, I'm deriving it from a verse in the Torah:

 

Jeremiah 30; Taanit 5b 'You, my servant Yaakov, have nothing to fear,' says HaShem, 'do not be terrified Israel, because I help you from afar, and your offspring will return from the earth.' "

 

* * *

 

This study was written by

Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David (Greg Killian).

Comments may be submitted to:

 

Rabbi Dr. Greg Killian

12210 Luckey Summit

San Antonio, TX 78252

 

Internet address:  gkilli@aol.com

Web page:  https://www.betemunah.org/

 

(360) 918-2905

 

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